CAO Dan’s two months of labour on a stunning green dress for Sovereign Hill’s period dress competition in Shanghai were well worth it.
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She won the competition in January and is now in Ballarat as part of her prize.
Ms Cao, a 24-year-old fashion graduate from Beijing, said it was an honour to be here.
“I’m very glad to come here,” she said. “It’s the first time I’ve won a competition.”
Ms Cao’s dress has been on display, along with the other entries, at the Gold Museum since Easter.
The small details done by hand, including the flowers and bows, greatly impressed the judges.
The inspiration came from French royalty, Ms Cao said.
“I was thinking about the wife of Louis XVI, very arrogant,” she said.
Her dress won out over 600 designs in the second year of the competition.
It was unveiled along with 10 other finalists at a spectacular runway show in Shanghai.
Sovereign Hill’s international marketing manager Jessica Xue said they would have to go for even loftier heights next year.
“This year’s was twice as big as the first,” she said. “So we’ll have to work hard for the next one.”
The competition dresses will be on display at the Gold Museum until the end of July.
